Thumbnail Image

Guidance on addressing child labour in fisheries and aquaculture

Year of publication 2013

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 107 p.

Author FAO; ILO

Publisher FAO ; ILO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 9789251077092

Synopsis (short abstract) Child labour is a major concern in many parts of the world and it is estimated that there are some 215 million child labourers worldwide. Aggregate data indicate that about 60 per cent of child labourers – that is over 129 million children – work in agriculture, including fisheries and aquaculture. While there are limited disaggregated data on child labour specifically related to fisheries and aquaculture, case-specific evidence points to significant numbers. Children engage in a wide va riety of activities in capture fishing, aquaculture and all associated operations (processing, marketing and other postharvest activities), as well as in upstream industries including net making and boatbuilding. Children also perform household chores in their fishing and fish farming families and communities. When child labour is used as cheap labour to cut fishing costs, not only is harmful to the children, it may also have a negative effect on the sustainability of the fishery activ ity. Child labour appears to be particularly widespread in the small- and medium-scale sectors of the informal economy where decent work is poorly organised or absent. Although there is a widely ratified international legal framework to address child labour, – comprising ILO Conventions and other agreements, laws are effective only if they are applied and enforced, with incentives to ensure compliance. Addressing child labour is rarely high on the national agenda of social dialogue, legislation review and institution building. Its elimination is difficult because it is part of production systems, is nested in the context of poverty and relates closely to social injustices. Communities and institutions are often not fully aware of the negative individual and collective social and economic consequences of child labour. Practical and realistic pathways for improving the current situation and community engagement and buy-in are essential for successful results. More i nformation on child labour is needed to raise awareness at all levels. A critical first step towards eliminating child labour, in particular its worst forms, is to understand what constitutes hazardous work and what tasks and occupations are acceptable for children above the minimum legal age for employment. Not all activities performed by children are child labour. Convention on Minimum Age, 1973 (No 138), and Convention on the Worst Forms if Child Labour, 1999 (No. 182), define child labour on the basis of a child’s age, the hours and conditions of work, activities performed and hazards involved. Child labour is work that interferes with compulsory schooling and damages health and personal development. Concerted efforts are needed to effectively address child labour with multistakeholder participation and involving governments, development partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), employers’ and workers’ associations and other socioprofessional organization s, the private sector and communities (including children and youth). By applying holistic, participatory, integrated and feasible approaches, a better life for millions of children can be created.

Cite this content as:

FAO and ILO. 2013. Guidance on addressing child labour in fisheries and aquaculture. Rome.

Language English

Also available in:

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Eliminating child labour and promoting decent work in fisheries and aquaculture 2018
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Today, 152 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour, of which 70.9% are in the agricultural sector, including fisheries and aquaculture. This global problem is a human rights abuse perpetuating poverty, especially in rural areas. With appropriate action, this critical issue can be addressed with a view to generating decent employment opportunities, work that will sustain agriculture, increase food security and help families and communities transition out of poverty. FAO is working to build a sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sector that accounts for economic, environmental and social matters, including decent work and the prevention of child and forced labour. This brief raises awareness on the issue and FAO’s work to address it. It will be launched on the World Day Against Child Labour (12 June 2018) and shared at the IFISH Conference on Occupational Safety and Health in Commercial Fishing, Aquaculture, and Seafood Processing (10-13 June 2018).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    Tackling child labour in fisheries and aquaculture
    Background paper
    2021
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The global aquatic food industry, long under scrutiny over environmental sustainability concerns, has also come under increased scrutiny within the past decade over poor working conditions and severe human rights violations, including widespread use of forced labour and child labour. However, there is limited research and documentation available on child labour in fishing, aquaculture and fish and aquatic food processing globally. Much of the available evidence is centred on labour conditions in global supply chains. However, due to higher levels of informality, limited law enforcement capacity, and so on, it is more likely that children produce fish and aquatic-sourced foods for local consumption and domestic supply chains. To realize SDG 14 and make fish and other aquatic-sourced food production truly sustainable food systems, it will be necessary to step up efforts to eliminate child labour, protect young workers against the worst forms of child labour (including hazardous work, forced labour, and child engagement in illegal activities) and invest in a healthy, well-educated workforce for the future. This too is necessary to achieve SDG 8 and ensure that the millions of people who derive their living from fishing, aquaculture, and aquatic food processing work under decent conditions. This would entail expanding attention to aquatic food production for local and domestic markets in addition to the products that go into global supply chains. This background paper presents the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations to tackle child labour in fisheries and aquaculture.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Workshop on Child Labour in Fisheries and Aquaculture in cooperation with ILO. Rome, 14 -16 April 2010 2010
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The Workshop on Child Labour in Fisheries and Aquaculture was organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with International Labour Organization (ILO) to generate inputs and guidance to the contents and process of developing guidance materials on policy and practice in tackling child labour in fisheries and aquaculture. In order to promote awareness on and effective implementation of the relevant UN and ILO conventions on the right of the chi ld and child labour, workshop participants reviewed the nature, incidence and causes of child labour in fisheries, fish processing and aquaculture, examined the different forms and types of child labour in both large and small-scale and artisanal fishing operations, shellfish gathering, aquaculture, seafood processing, and work on board fishing vessels and fishing platforms, examined the health and safety hazards of fishing and aquaculture, including the use of hazardous technologies a nd relevant alternatives, and shared examples of good practice in the progressive elimination of child labour drawn from various sectors and regions. Child labour often reinforces a vicious cycle of poverty and has a negative impact on literacy rates and school attendance and limits children’s mental and physical health and development. The workshop participants agreed on a series of recommendations relating to legal and enforcement measures, policy interventions and practical action s including risk assessments to address child labour issues in fisheries and aquaculture. FAO and ILO were called upon for priority actions to assist governments in withdrawing trafficked children and to effectively prohibit slavery and forced labour. Awarenessraising among all stakeholders and the preparation of guidance materials were also prioritized by workshop participants. Gender issues needed to be considered in all actions and issues adequately addressed relating to discriminat ion and exclusion of fishing communities, castes, tribal and indigenous peoples, and ethnic minorities in fisheries and aquaculture.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.